Wheel construction



R. J. GOODSON.

WHEEL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATIQN FILED Amis. 1919.

eJeJ/ el @walsen INVEA'TOR.

W YITNESS.'

A TTORNE Y.

R. J. GOODSONA.L

` WHEEL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.18, 1919.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

20 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

l r I l 4 L LLI] FLE?. .9.

ai, jeQseJ/Joodson ITNESS.- INVENTOR. md BY A TTORNE Y.

R. 1. GOODSON.

WHEEL CONSTRUCTION.

I APPLICATION FILED AUG. I8, 1919.

IN VEN TOR.

WITNESS.

ATTORNEY.

UNITE STTLEL :eAsEY J. 'eoonsoim or arrniirioivv CITY, MISSOURI.

WHEEL oons'rn'ii'orioiv.

To all whom 15' may' conce/fw.' Y I Be it known that l, Raser Ji. GooDsoN, a citizenof the United' Stat'esgresidingi at Ap i pleton City, inthe county ofSt. Clair andl State of Missouri, have invented 'new andi. useful Improvements in Wheel Gonstruc tions, of which the followi'ngfis'a-- specification. u

rhis invention relates to vehicle wheels, and particularlyI to'- wheels of 'the'spring type, and has for an object' the provision. of

a wheel in which shock and jar due to travelI l* over uneven4 surfaces is taken? up by the" wheel and preventedfroin' being transferred to the' body of the vehicle, the -wh'eel beingY especially adapted for use on motor-operated vehicles, and and the like. l .p

Another obj ect is the: provision of a wheel'Vv having an inner 'section and anfouter sec- Y tion, said sections being-relatively.movable and provided with means whereby they will be automatically adjusted 4to maintain their proper relative positions.' y

Anotherobj ect isthe provision of `a spring wheel in which the inner and outer sections are relatively movable,Y both 'circuniferenl tially and' radially and yieldingly connected*v in ai manner to distribute the weight-of the` vehicle evenly over thei entiref'area of? the-f wheel and all of the yielding connections. 1

Another object is' th'e'provisioniV ofv a novel form of connection between the inner and outer members, whereby' a freel-relativev rotary movementl is permitted between thel sections.-

Another object of the invention isfthef l provisi'on'of a wheel having'inner and outer relatively movable sections in' which the movement of the sections isautomatically adjusted and transmitted by friction roller bearings and springs.'v f i l Otherl objects and advantages ofv the'- inf vention willappearf'asfthe following description is' read inY connection with thefac'fcompanying drawings,rin which: l

Figure 1is a side elevatiompartly broken away, of a wheel constructed in 'accordance with the present' invention, l Y,

Fig.'2 isa secti'onal'vie'w of the same, Fig. 3 is an enlarged section` onf'the line Fig. 1 isa similarviewl on the linea-'41 of liioxl v Fig., 5 is al detail' perspective view of? one lof theguide yokes,

K Specification of Letters Patent. Pgtgnited Aug, -.Application'led August 18,' 1919. Serial No.'318,2'177. i

particularly farm tractors f Fig. 6 is asimilar view of-one4 of the'anti friction rollers,l

Fig. 7isa like View of one'y of the spoke".`

Y Y, A Fig.- 8' is a detail perspective view of the.

washers,

end' plate and its connectingrods, n

Fig. 9 is a fragmentarysection throughI the outer wheel section showing the manner Aofv connecting the' circumferential springs to the wheel, Y .Y

i Fig. V10 is a fragmentary-plan view of the rim ofthe wheel, and f y Fig. .11;is a detail-perspective'view ofoiie` of thegu-ide' rods of the spokes. l

Referring to the drawings in detail,v

wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts', the -wheell is' shown as formed of an inner or hub section 15 and an v rlllhe outerv section k16jco'n`iprises a pair` of l spaced flat annular rings 1'7, whose "outer outer or rim section 16.

a* veric` edges are connected by means of'a channelf Y shape'd'ltread 18, the latter being bolted tothe rings 17 by,meansfoftransversely disposed bolts 19. The tread 18 is formed or otherwise provided with transversely dis-A posed traction members 20, preferablyf in the form of ridges pressed outwardfroin Vthe tread. 'Spaced' 'around'.the' outer rim sectionv 17 is a-plurality of bolts y215,v the-lat-v ter serving to connect the rings 17 and'to provide bearings forconcavedrollers 22,

described;

The inner or connected by a ring v 27 and an `outer-'section 28. rThis-'last namedY section is-formed of a substantially U-shaped'guide 29,v whose `inner end isjforinedv with aV threaded opening SOfor the receptionof one end ofa guide rod 31. This guide rod operates in the' tubular section 26 of` the spoke' andhas its outer end formed ywith oppositely arrangedl` longitudinal grooves 32 for the reception of i a washer 33. Thiswasher is'indicated in f Fig. 7,:andis provided withv inwardly eX- tending lugs 341', vwhich are' received' in the grooves 32. The outer end ofthe rod`31` adjacent the yoke 29 is surrounded by an end plate 35, which is formed with oppositely extending ears 36. i These ears are provided with threaded sockets or openings 37 for the reception of one end of guide rod or bolt 38. The opposite end of this guide rod or boltY extends through an opening provided upon Veach side of each of the spokes 25. Interposed between the head 35 Vand the washer 33 is a coiled spring 39, the latter acting to forcethe yoke 29 outwardly. The free ends of the yoke 29 operatebetween the rings 17 of the outer or rim section 16 of the wheel and have mounted between them spaced rollers 40. These, rollers are provided with spacing sleeves 41 at each end thereof, which engage the opposed Vinner faces of the arms of the yoke 29 and are held in position between the said arms by means of pins 43, which are mounted in bearings in openingstformed in the arms of the yokes. These pins lare held in position by means of plates 43, which are received lwithin flanges 44located'at each edge of the arms of the f yoke so as to provide guides for the plates. lhen in position, the plates are held against movement through the medium of a screw 44. v

kThe rollers 40 operate over a track 45,

i which is carriedby the outer or rim sec- 30 tionfl. This track is in theformjof an annulus, whose cross sectional shape is preferably that of an I-beam so as yto provide inner and outer grooves for the receptionlof the rollers 40. The track 45 is connected to thel outer orrim section 16 through the medium of oppositely located, radially disposed arms 46. One endlof these arms is bolted to the track as shown at 47, while the opposite end is bolted within the depression 48 formedin the tread 18 and between the edge of the said tread and the ring 17.

This provides a rigid connection between the track and the outer or rim section. Cer- Y tain of the arms 46 yare provided with laterally Vand inwardly extending bosses 49, so

'that certainv ofthe `rollers 22 will operate l secured to certain of the Vrums 46, which are V disposed Vat an 4angle of substantially 90o with respect to the extensions 51 of the `arms of the yokes 29. These springs lie upon the rollers 22, which rollers actto maintain the springs in proper position with respect to VJthe periphery of they wheel.

In use, the weight of the vehicle is transofV the sectional spokes and should the wheels vstrike an obstacle or other uneven surface to cause the inner or hub section to move with respect to the outer or rimk section, the said first named section will travel downwardlyv inV a substantially vertical line and, owing to the arrangementof the spokes andthe rim, the strain jorweight will bei evenly distributed -.throughout the entire area of the wheel, compressing all of the springs 39. The two upper and lower springs shown in Fig. 2, will beV compressed y practicallythe same and the rollers 40 carried by the spokes upon which these springs are mounted, will travel around the periphery of the track 45, the upper rollers of the upper spokes gripping or binding upon the outer surface of the track and the upper rollers ofthe lower spokesl gripping or bindving upon the inner surface of the track and serving to arrest the movement of the innerv or hub section, the action being substantially that of a braking action, the said rollers increasing their frictional contact with these I surfaces of the track as the inner section of the wheel rotates withrespect to the outer section. During this actionthe spokes whichv occupy in Fig. 2 a horizontal position, have amore or less free movement with respect. to the outer or rim section, .their springs being depressed in proportion to the amount y Y of travel of the spokes. The springs 53 also act to retardthedownward or rotary movement of the yinner or rim section, and when the limit of this movement has been reached, these springs serve tov automatically `return theinner or rim sectionto its normal posi-V tion;` e

The invention is susceptibleV of. various changes in its form, proportions and minor details of. construction, the form of the invention herein shown and described being only one of many forms for carrying out l the idea. The right is,-therefore, reserved to make any changes that properly fall withi in vthe scope of the-appended claims.

Having thus described he invention, what Iclaimsz 1. A wheel comprising an inner hub section, spokes carried by said-section, anouter rim section, a concentrically arranged annulus included in said outer rimv section, means including rollers carried by the spokes and engageable upon theinner and outerperiphery of the annulus to provide a relative cir-V cumferential movement between the hub and rim sections, and yielding means for resisting such movement.' v j 2. A wheel comprising aninner hub section, spokes carried by said section, an outer rim section, a concentrically arranged aniulus included in said outer rim section, means including antifriction devices engageable between the hub section and the rim section,

und yieldable means for resisting such movement.

3.4 A Wheel comprising an inner hub sec-V tion und an outer rim section, a concentrically arranged annulus carried by the rim section and spaced from the rim, radially yieldztble spokes carried by the hub sectionI and having their outer bifurcated ends dis# posed upon opposite side edges of the annulus, means 'carried by the spokes forengagement With the inner' and outer periph# veries of the annulus and. springs connecting the spokes and rim section.

In testimony whereof' I aiiX my signature. 20

yRASEY J. GooDsoN. 

